-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Passions run high at the coalface of an Ashes series and the heat clearly affects those at the pinnacle of Australian politics too .

As his nation battles to win the third Test against England , and keep the five-match series alive , Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has left the game 's officials in no doubt as to his disgust .

With the match only a few hours old , Aussie batsman Usman Khawaja was given out caught behind by umpire Tony Hill , a call he instantly reviewed .

And though countless replays offered no evidence Khawaja had hit the ball , the video umpire upheld the on-field decision , condemning the 26-year-old to a long trudge back to the pavilion .

Rudd , who ousted Julia Gillard in a leadership election to become Prime Minister for a second time in June , was so incensed he took to Twitter to voice his displeasure to over 1.3 million followers .

Using modern technology to bemoan cricket 's new-age technology he wrote : `` I 've just sat down to watch the test . That was one of the worst cricket umpiring decisions I have ever seen . ''

At the close of play on the first day , captain Michael Clarke 's unbeaten century leading his side to a commanding position at 303-3 , Rudd 's message had been retweeted 2,759 times .

His viewpoint was supported by one of Australia 's greatest ever cricketers , Shane Warne , who took 708 Test wickets with his leg spin bowling during a glittering career .

In his role as a television commentator he labeled the decision `` ridiculous '' and was one of the thousands that retweeted Rudd 's remarks .

`` There was daylight between bat and ball , there was no hot spot and no noise , '' Warne said . `` The only noise was when the bat hit his pad .

`` You can see the bat hitting the pad , the ball goes past , no noise . There was clear evidence there as well . That is a ridiculous decision . ''

Umpiring decisions have caused much controversy in the previous two Tests matches , both won by England , who is looking to retain the Ashes for the third straight series .

Under the Decision Review System -LRB- DRS -RRB- both sides get two reviews per innings , meaning they can refer a decision to a video umpire if they think it is wrong .

The numerous camera angles available , as well as sound and hotspot technology -- which can detect even the faintest touch of ball on bat -- are designed to eliminate bad calls .

The game 's governing body -- the International Cricket Council -LRB- ICC -RRB- -- was forced to defend the umpiring during the first Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham after a clutch of poor decisions , from the on-field umpires and their video counterpart .

Rudd is the latest in a long line of Aussie Prime Ministers who have indulged their love of cricket .

John Howard , who served between 1996 and 2007 , was a regular visitor to Test matches involving his country at home and abroad . He also launched a bid to become a vice-president of the ICC but was blocked by the organization 's board .

Gillard was pictured at various cricketing events , while former premiers Bob Hawke and Paul Keating also tried to tap into their country 's love of the game .

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Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd tweets criticism of umpiring decision in Ashes Test

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Rudd dismayed after batsman Usman Khawaja given out by third umpire despite review

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Khawaja given out caught even though replays seemed to show he had n't hit the ball

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Rudd calls it `` one of the worst umpiring decisions I 've seen '' and is backed by Shane Warne